Stratagemo is an implementation for Zillions of a game similar to Stratego (Stratego was invented in 1961 by the Milton Bradley Company. Stratego is today a registered trademark of Hasbro Inc). Stratagemo has been adapted from Battle for Zillions (by Kaufmann), which has undergone many modifications.
Changes compared with Battle are the following:
(1) pieces are now graphical (2) captured pieces are now dislayed at the sideboard (3) it's now possible to play blue (4) much more human play (the computer will sometimes step on Mines) (5) much stronger play when placing pieces (Standard safety, etc.) (6) more attacking play (7) capability of creating and saving favourite setups as Zillions game files (8) in random setup variants awkward positioning of the Standard, the Mines, and certain other pieces, is avoided (9) if no more moveable pieces, Zillions will now signal loss (10) Disarmers can now defuse friendly mines (11) diverse improvements. Certain extra variants have been removed, but they will perhaps be added again in the future.
Note: In order not to cheat inadvertently you ought to turn off the Moves List and ideally also the Status Bar and Search Progress.
Rules:
The goal of the game is to capture your opponent's Standard. You also win if your opponent doesn't have any moves left. Should you have no more pieces left to play with, then give up by dropping the Standard.
- The piece with the lower number beats the piece with the higher number.
- The Assassin ('A') can only beat the Commandant ('1') and only if the Assassin attacks first.
- When any piece (except a Disarmer - '8') strikes a Mine, that piece is lost and removed from the board. When a Disarmer strikes a Mine, the Mine is defused and removed. Note! In Stratagemo the Disarmer can also defuse friendly Mines.
The pieces in ranking order (the number within parentheses says how many) :
1. Commandant (1)
2. General (1)
3. Brigadier (2)
4. Major (3)
5. Captain (4)
6. Lieutenant (4)
7. Sergeant (4)
8. Disarmer (5)
9. Scout (8)
A. Assassin (1)
Mine (6)
Standard (1)
The game is started by setting up the pieces on the friendly territory. In Stratagemo the player who begins (typically red) places all his pieces first (in this stage one doesn't change turns). After all pieces have been placed the opponents take turns to move pieces by the following rules. All pieces, except a Scout ('9') move only one square up, down, left or right. A Scout can move any number of squares in these directions.
When the game is over, you can press 'Switch Piece Set' to show all the hidden pieces. Should you have no more moves left, then give up by dropping the Standard. Captured pieces will be displayed to the right.
Strategy
- Place Mines around the Standard to protect it.
- Put a few lower-numbered pieces in the front line, but be careful! If you lose them early in the game you're in a weak position.
- A few Scouts should be in the front lines to help you discover the strength of opposing pieces.
- Place some Disarmers in the rear for the end of the game, where they will be needed to defuse Mines.
- Remember that the Assassin is, after all, an important piece while it can protect a flank against the enemy Commandant.
The following variants are provided:
- Stratagemo
- Open Stratagemo
- Mini Stratagemo
- Stratagemo (Random Setup)
In 'Open Stratagemo', you can see the opponent pieces. 'Mini Stratagemo' is played on standard board, but with significantly reduced number of pieces. In variants with a random setup, press F5 ('Start Thinking') to make the computer randomly setup all pieces (both your and your opponent's).
You can find more information, as well as history, tips and strategies, on Ed’s excellent Stratego site (http://www.edcollins.com/stratego).
Visit Mats Winther's boardgame homepage. |
